As SCOTUS arguments begin, 24 states’ attorneys general issue joint statement affirming birthright citizenship

Attorney General Nick Brown today released the following statement with 23 other attorneys general before oral arguments began in the U.S. Supreme Court case Trump v. Barbara, which concerns President Trump's unlawful executive order to end birthright citizenship.

"The President's executive order redefining birthright citizenship violates our Constitution, federal statutes, and the rule that has governed our Nation for more than 150 years. We were proud to lead the fight against this unlawful order, and grateful for the injunctions we obtained that prevented this action from ever taking effect. We are optimistic the U.S. Supreme Court will agree with every judge to consider this executive order on the merits and hold that it violates this fundamental constitutional right."

This statement was issued by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai'i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

On Jan. 21, 2025, AG Brown led a coalition with three other states in suing the Trump administration to challenge the president's unconstitutional order to unilaterally strip citizenship from thousands of babies born in Washington each year, despite the Constitution's guarantee of citizenship. Washington won a nationwide injunction to stop this executive order from taking effect. The Supreme Court ultimately decided to hear Trump v. Barbara, rather than Washington's case. The nationwide injunction remains in place.

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